Using Video in PowerPoint for Mac

Do you have a great video you want to show in your class but don't know how to seamlessly integrate it into your PowerPoint presentation?  Today I gave a tech tutorial in the VRC demonstrating how to do exactly this.  If you were unable to make it I am available to sit down with you for a personal session.  There is also an instructional guide that you can download here.

Instructional Sessions

The Visual Resources Collection will be presenting a series of instructional sessions for departmental faculty, staff , and graduate students. Dates and topics are as follows:


Bspace Schedule and Calendar Tools
Wednesday 2/6, 12:30-1:30, 308A Doe
Presented by: Lynn Cunningham
A brief tutorial on how to set up online office-hour scheduling from within bspace. You can do away with the paper-format scheduling, and your students will be able to sign up for office hours virtually. If you are unable to attend the session, I have created a quick start guide that you may download from the VRC blog: havrc.blogspot.com/2013/01/online-office-hour-sign-up-in-bspace.html

PowerPoint Tools -- Video
Wednesday 3/6, 12:30-1:30, 308A Doe
Presented by: Jason Hosford
Jason will discuss how to use video in PowerPoint. He will instruct users on how to embed, link, and play video in a presentation.

PowerPoint Tools -- Transitions and Animations
Wednesday 3/20, 12:30-1:30, 308A Doe
Presented by: Jason Hosford
Jason will cover transitions and animations in PowerPoint.

Europeana Portal
Wednesday 4/17, 12:30-1:30, 308A Doe
Presented by: Lynn Cunningham
Lynn will present on Europeana, a search engine for the digitized collections of museums, libraries, archives and galleries across Europe. Europeana is a single access point to millions of books, paintings, films, museum objects and archival records. It is an authoritative source of information coming from European cultural and scientific institutions. www.europeana.eu/portal/

Digital Photography
Wednesday 5/1, 12:30-1:30, 308A Doe
Presented by: Julie Wolf
TBD

ARTstor & Java

In recent weeks there have been security issues with the Java plug-in. ARTstor currently uses Java for individual image downloads. ARTstor has announced that they are developing a new solution for individual image downloads that will not require Java. They will be announcing the details of their new solution in the coming weeks.

Two possible solutions can be used in the meantime:

Manually Enable Java
In many cases, Mac has automatically disabled Java, but you can re-enable it manually while using ARTstor. Follow these instructions for enabling Java in your browser.

Batch Download Feature
ARTstor's batch download feature is not effected by the Java issue. You can learn how to use the batch download feature from the following short video.

Online Office Hour Sign-up in Bspace

Would you like your students to sign-up for office hours virtually? Bspace has the tools to create and manage a virtual sign-up sheet. You can create sign-up sheets for the entire semester in just 10 minutes in bspace. I have created a quick start guide for download.

What size should images be for PowerPoint?

For clarification on the sometimes muddy issue of image resolution for PowerPoint presentations, Microsoft has a good explanation on their website.

In short, the resolution of your images will only display as large as the projector's (and your computer's) capabilities. The standard size for projection output typically has been 1024x768 at 96 dpi, but this is changing as technology changes. The new Christie projectors that we have just installed in Moffitt have an output resolution as high as 1920x1080. However, if your computer is only capable of projecting at 1024x768, it defaults to this as an output if you have the monitor mirroring setting enabled.

For more information on the Christie DHD800 projector specifications, see their website. You may also view information on the new Panasonic projectors here.

Projector troubleshooting tips

I have created a document with the most common projector problems and instructions on how to resolve them. You may download the projector troubleshooting guide here. Educational Technology Services is also available to help, should you encounter a problem during class. ETS can be reached at 510-643-8637. They also offer one-on-one classroom equipment orientations. You may schedule your orientation on the ETS website.

Is Your Mac Projecting Too Dark?

If your Macintosh is displaying too dark when projected, you may need to change your color profile. You can access the color profile options under the display preferences on your Mac. Education Technology Services has outlined simple instructions on how to select the best display settings on their website help center.